Screen-frame



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. A. WAY.

SCREEN FRAME.

No. 487,656. Patented Dec. 6, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT QErioE.

HARRY A. WAY, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

SCREEN-FRAM E.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,656, dated December 6, 1892.

Application filed March 23, 1892.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. WAY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Chittenden and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Screen-Frames; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact-description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in extension window-screens; and it consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts, which will be fully described hereinafter, and particularly referred to in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an extension-screen havingspring-actnated sections at each end, the said sections being of the construction hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the construction thereof is made simple and the sliding parts of the frame so constructed that binding is prevented and each section held in its movements and also limited in its movements by four screws, two of which screws also serving to hold the inner edges of what I term the wings of the sections in place and which can be secured to the sections before they are applied to the frame.

In the drawings, Figure 1 1s a perspective View of a screen which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the frame proper alone, looking at the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 1.. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of one of the sliding sections.

A indicates the frame proper, which consists of the top and bottom bars 0 and D and the end bars E and F. These end bars E and F are placed between the top and bottom bars, as shown in Fig. 2, and they are united by the end fly-guard strips G, which overlap the inner edges of the top and bottom bars and are nailed thereto and to the end bars by the nails H. This makes a very simple and cheap manner of securingoand bracing the screen-frame, while at the same time the guardstrips serve to secure the ends of the wire-netting I in place, as will be seen. The

top and bottom edges of the wire-netting are held in place by means of the narrow guard- Serial No. 426,154- (No model.)

strips J, which are placed at the inner edges of the top and bottom bars, as shown, and secured in place by nails in the usual manner. From the above it will be seen that the screen-frame proper is secured together and at the same time well braced by the wide end guard-strips G, making a simple and cheap screen-frame.

The sliding sections consist of the narrow guiding-strips K, which rest upon the faces of the top and bottom bars 0 and D outside of the narrow guard-strips J, the adjacent edges of the said strips being very near together to prevent the passage of insects between them.

Made in the inner ends of the strips K are the longitudinal slots L, through which screws M loosely pass into the top and bottom bars of the frame A. These screws-serve to hold the inner ends of the strips in place and also to limit the outward movement of the sliding sections. Secured to the outer face of these strips K is a Wing N by means of nails at its outer ends, as shown. This wing N has its outer edge projecting beyond the ends of the slotted strips K sufliciently to allow of a laterally-projecting strip P being secured thereto by nails, as illustrated. A second wing Q is secured to the opposite edge of thislaterally-extending strip P by nails, which pass through the outer edge of the wing into the strip. These wings and strips thus form what I term a box, into which the ends of the.

frame A project and slide when the boxes are pushed inward for the purpose of shortening the screen, as will be understood.

Formed in opposite ends of the top and bottom bars 0 and D are the longitudinal slots R, which extend entirely to the outer ends thereof, so that the outer wall or portion of the slot is virtually a spring or yielding wall, for the purpose to be presently described. It will also be noticed that the slots made in the top and bottom bars have their inner ends outside of the outer ends of the slots L made in the inner ends of the box-strips K, so that these slots are never opposite each other, no matter how much they are contracted or expanded, and thus insects cannot pass through these slots into the room or apartment.

Made in the wing Q near its inner corners are the short slots S, through which holding and guiding screws T pass. These screws pass, also, through the slots R of the top and bottom bars 0 and D and are screwed into the inner surfaces of the guiding box-strips K, as shown. In this manner these screws T serve to hold the inner edge of the wing Q in place against the top and bottom bars, while at the same time they form a guide for the outer ends of the strips K, and thus, together with the screws M, hold the boxes in their proper position as they are moved back and forth. Owing to the fact that the wing Q is rigidly secured only at its outer edge, as described and shown, it willbe seen that its inner edge is held yieldingly in contact with the top and bottom bars of the frame A. As the screws T are not screwed tight enough. to clamp the wing to the top and bottom bars, the inner edge thereof is allowed toyield as the section is moved in and out, and thus the section is prevented from binding, owing to the fact that the screws T hold the wing Q to,

one side of the top and bottom bars and the strips K to the opposite sides.

The object of having the slots R of the top and bottom bars with open outer ends, thus making the outer wall thereof a yielding one, is to also add to the ease with which the sliding sections will move and to prevent binding in their movements, owing to the fact that the outer walls of the slots,which are in contact with the guiding-screws T, will give outward should the screws have any tendency to bind in the slots. Another objeetof having the slots with open outer ends is to allow the sections to have the greatest possible outward movement by permitting the screws to. pass to the outer edges of the outer ends. of the top and bottom bars. Where one wall of the slot is formed into a spring or yielding portion, as described and shown, all tendency to split the light material out of which screens are made is avoided when the screw binds, which is otherwise likely to occur where neither wallwill give, for the reason that when the parts bind somethingmust yield in order to allow them to move, and not unfrequently the thin top and bottom bars aresplit in, order to accomplish this movement, thus damaging the frame A very materially, as will be understood; also, by having these slots. with open outer ends, as illustrated, when the boxes are made the screws T can be inserted to hold the inner edge of the wingin place to prevent it being split by handling separate from the frame by having its inner edge forced outward, which is liable to occur in afactory,and then the boxes can be placed upon the frame without removing these screws T, as will be understood. This only necessitates the insertion of the screws M through the slots L, formed at the inner ends of the strips K, thus making the putting together and adjusting of the two parts-that is, the sliding sections and the frame A very simple and easy,requiring only a moment to accomplish it. There is still another advantage of having the slots with open ends, which is of no little importance in the manufacture of the top and bottom bars, as it saves time, which cheapens the productionthat is, when forming the slot it can be run clear to the end of the bars, thus avoiding the necessity for care in making the slot, which is requisite if the slot is formed with a closed end. Owing to the fact that the slots B have open outer ends, the boxes are limited in their outward movements by the inner ends of the slots L alone abutting against the screws M.

The purpose of forming slots S in the inner corners of the wings Q instead of simple openings is, first, because it is easier to form slots than openings, and if only openings. were formed there would be a liability to. split the wings when moving the boxes back and forth unless great care was exercised at all times. i This tendency to split is obviated by; having the slots instead of simple round openings. The boxes or sliding sections are normally held outward by means of springs (35, which have theirinner ends secured by beingplaced lin saw-kerfs cut diagonally into the outside ledges of the end pieces E and F near their centers, or if of round iron in suitable holes .or sawkerfs at the points. named. These springs are then extended upward and outl ward, their opposite extremities being turned or bent, as shown at b, so as to rest and slide ragainst the under sides of the lateral strips P I to. prevent binding. In this way the elasticiity of the springs is more easily and evenly 1 extended through their en tire length, as there are two wholly separate and independent bearings and these are located at each end of the box. At the same time, no screws ornailsbeing required to secure them tothe end pieces E and F, the expense of construction is cor respondingly reduced and theirliability to work loose by strain if otherwise fastened is entirely overcome. This improved construction is therefore simple and cheap to manufacture, while the sections are allowed to freely move without binding.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a screen, a frame havingtop and bot tom bars, anettin g placed upon one side thereof, stripsplaced over the netting andover the endv pieces of the frame,which havetheir ends overlapping the end pieces and secured to the top and bottom bars,narrow strips at the inner edgesof thetop and bottom bars, placed over the netting, longitudinal slots at the ends of the top and bottom bars, having open outer ends, combined with sliding sections comprising guiding-bars having longitudinal slots at their inner endshavingclosed ends,a boxingat their outer ends, screws which pass through the slots at the inner ends of the said guiding: bars into the top andbottom bars of the frame, and screws which pass through the inner edge tions and through the open-ended slots of the frame into the said guiding bars or strips of the sliding sections, whereby binding of the sections is prevented, substantially as de- I 5 scribed.

In testimony whereof I do aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' HARRY A. WAY. Witnesses:

CHARLES E. ALLEN, A. T. WAY. 

